In Memoriam: Dwayne Burno

Jazz bassist Dwayne Burno has passed away of undisclosed causes at the age of 43. Born in Philadelphia, Burno was a mainstay of the New York City jazz scene for the past two decades. His resume includes work with legendary artists including Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Henderson and many more.

Burno started his musical education at an early age from his mother, who was a pianist and choral director. He picked up double bass at 16 and went on to study at the Berklee College of music by 18. Burno’s early professional gigs were with saxophone legend Donald Harrison, and once he moved to New York City in 1990 he joined vocalist Betty Carter’s band. Besides his prolific career as a sideman, the bassist had his own quintet that would regularly perform at Smalls and other jazz clubs.

Christian McBride shared his feelings on Twitter, saying, “Dwayne Burno and I used to shed together as teenagers at my house. At that time, he was a violin player. Lots of great memories. RIP, homie.”